ThermalTake Volcano 7 heatsink review
Admin - November 5, 2001Category: CPU Cooling
I received my ThermalTake Volcano 7 today, and it looks very promising. The first thing I said when I opened the box up, was "This thing is huge". It isn't the biggest heatsink on the market, but sure is an upgrade from the old ThermalTake Volcano heatsinks. Once I looked over the heatsink, I saw that the heatsink itself isn't much bigger than the old volcano's, if at all. The 80mm fan on top makes this heatsink look very massive. Most heatsinks on the market have a 60mm fan, while this one has a 80mm fan.
ThermalTake didn't use the standard fan grill on this heatsink. They used a custom fan grill, made by them. This type of fan grill was first seen on the Crystal ORB's, I'm glad to see they have brached out and started using them on heatsinks. A few things that caught my attention when looking at the Volcano 7, was the extra wire coming off the fan. I looked closely and I found out that it goes to a small green looking sensor on the side of the fan. What's that, you might ask? It allows the fan to run at a much lower rpm (fan speed) when your computer case is cool. When your computer case get's too hot, the fan will detect it and raise the fan speed, therefore cooling your cpu more. I think this is a great idea because, why have a fan running at full speed when it's not needed? Remember, if the fan is turning slower it will be much quieter.
ThermalTake didn't use the standard fan grill on this heatsink. They used a custom fan grill, made by them. This type of fan grill was first seen on the Crystal ORB's, I'm glad to see they have brached out and started using them on heatsinks. A few things that caught my attention when looking at the Volcano 7, was the extra wire coming off the fan. I looked closely and I found out that it goes to a small green looking sensor on the side of the fan. What's that, you might ask? It allows the fan to run at a much lower rpm (fan speed) when your computer case is cool. When your computer case get's too hot, the fan will detect it and raise the fan speed, therefore cooling your cpu more. I think this is a great idea because, why have a fan running at full speed when it's not needed? Remember, if the fan is turning slower it will be much quieter.
Specifications
Here is a chart of the temperature controlled fan and how loud it is, at different rpms.
Closer look
ThermalTake didn't use the standard fan grill on this heatsink. They used a custom fan grill, made by them. This type of fan grill was first seen on the Crystal ORB's, I'm glad to see they have brached out and started using them on heatsinks. A few things that caught my attention when looking at the Volcano 7, was the extra wire coming off the fan. I looked closely and I found out that it goes to a small green looking sensor on the side of the fan. What's that, you might ask? It allows the fan to run at a much lower rpm (fan speed) when your computer case is cool. When your computer case get's too hot, the fan will detect it and raise the fan speed, therefore cooling your cpu more. I think this is a great idea because, why have a fan running at full speed when it's not needed? Remember, if the fan is turning slower it will be much quieter.
Specifications
Here is a chart of the temperature controlled fan and how loud it is, at different rpms.
| Fan Speed | Air Flow | Noise |
| 2,900 rpm | 46 CFM | 27 dB |
| 5,000 rpm | 53 CFM | 39 dB |
| P/N | A1124 |
| Fan Dimension | 80x80x25 mm |
| Rated Voltage | 12VDC |
| Started Voltage | 7VDC |
| Power Input | 2.16W ~ 2.64W |
| Max. Air Flow | 53 CFM @ 5,000rpm |
| Noise | 39 dB at 5000 rpm |
| Bearing Type | Two Ball Bearing |
| Life Time | 50,000 hours |
| Connector | 3 PIN |
Closer look
Here is a top view of the Volcano 7. From this view you can see the solid copper core of the heatsink.
This is the very bottom of the heatsink. Thermaltake has this piece of paper you must peel off before you install the heatsink. Why? Because it protects the TIM from getting dirty or rubbing off. As usual, we take the stuff off, and apply some NanoTherm or Artic Silver II.
Looks like glue to me
Nice and clean, now
Looks like glue to me
Nice and clean, now
Performance
There really isn't a good way to test this kind of heatsink with the temperature controlled fan, because the fan will adjust it's speed as it needs to. However, I will still post the idle and full load temps.
Test Rig
1.4Ghz T-bird
KG7-RAID
Kingston 512MB PC-2100
SB Live! X-Gamer
WinXP
This time, instead of showing a fancy chart I'll just show you some screenshots from MotherBoard Monitor. This show's the CPU temps and case temps, along with the fan speeds. To get the full load temp. I played some MP3's while running Seti@Home.
Idle
Load
There really isn't a good way to test this kind of heatsink with the temperature controlled fan, because the fan will adjust it's speed as it needs to. However, I will still post the idle and full load temps.
Test Rig
This time, instead of showing a fancy chart I'll just show you some screenshots from MotherBoard Monitor. This show's the CPU temps and case temps, along with the fan speeds. To get the full load temp. I played some MP3's while running Seti@Home.
Idle
Load
Conclusion
Thermaltake has a very unique heatsink here, and I wouldn't mind recommending it to the average user or moderate overclocker. However, I don't think it would reach my expectations as an extreme overclocker. I really love how quiet this fan is, and the temperature controlled fan. The look's of the heatsink is also a big plus! The installation went just as smooth as the other Volcano heatsinks, and it was a fast installation. I'd like to thank ThermalTake for providing this new heatsink for us to review and play with.
Pros:
Cons:
Thermaltake has a very unique heatsink here, and I wouldn't mind recommending it to the average user or moderate overclocker. However, I don't think it would reach my expectations as an extreme overclocker. I really love how quiet this fan is, and the temperature controlled fan. The look's of the heatsink is also a big plus! The installation went just as smooth as the other Volcano heatsinks, and it was a fast installation. I'd like to thank ThermalTake for providing this new heatsink for us to review and play with.
Pros:
- Temperature controlled fan
- Copper core
- Massive!
- Look's very cool
Cons:
- I'm sure this heatsink/fan would never keep "my" overclocked CPU's cooled :)
- Some, might consider it too big.
